Juvenile Tennis in the 1980s, Frank Greaney's Garage and 1975 pantomime

The Dandy Lodge in Listowel Town Park in January 2019

<<<<<<<<

 Juvenile Tennis Players 

Photo: Danny Gordon

Do you spot yourself in this photo?

Do you remember that day or other great days on the tennis courts?

We'd love to hear from you.

<<<<<<<<<

Frank Greaney's Garage

Frank and Jim R.I.P. were great mechanics. Their love of cars and their knowledge of how they worked saw them offer a great service to us in Listowel for many years.
I don't think today's computerised everything would be able to diagnose what needed to be done to this car.

<<<<<<<

The Panto, The Old Folks Home and the Day Centre

Dave O'Sullivan found this great photo of the cast of the 1975 pantomime. There are only a few names. Please tell us who the others are.

<<<<<<<<

Yes, he is Irish and Proud of his Roots

My U.S. followers will immediately recognise this colourful New England Patriot. He is quarterback ,Tom Brady and he was one of the stars of Sunday evening's victory which sees his team into the Super Bowl.

Brady's Irish roots are in Cork {maternal) and Cavan (paternal) 

Brendan at School (in Kilconly), St. Mary's Listowel, Heather Ale and Limerick hurling

Dandy Lodge in Listowel Town Park, August 2018

<<<<<<<<<<

Brendan at School

The school scenes for Brendan of Ireland were shot in Kilconly school.  Michael Greaney who played Brendan, went to school in Rathea.

Kilconly was most likely chosen as a location for the photos as it was a new school and would look good in the photos.

Mike Flahive who is the boy with the shock of black hair seated in front of "Brendan" in the photo remembers the occasion well. Brendan arrived with the photographer and an entourage and Brendan was put sitting in the midst of the local children. Frank remembers that the photographer, Wolfgang Suschitzky, was accompanied, during his time in Kerry by a very famous actress, Eithne Dunne. Maybe she was to give acting tips to the participants in the staging of the story for the camera.

The hurling game in front of the school is another story altogether. The visitors brought the bag of hurleys and the sliotar with them. There was no hurling in Kilconly back then. They gave the boys the hurleys, a quick lesson in how to hold them and away they went. The girls are well back from the action, sitting in benches outside the school. Michael Flahive remembers the game being called off after about 10 minutes for health and safety reasons. There were genuine fears that someone could be maimed.  No helmets, shin guards or gum shields in those days!

Brendan is pictured making a donkey out of "modelling clay" i.e. marla which was the brown Play Doh/ plasticine we all had as a nod to craft  in Primary school in the 1950s and 60s. Notice the clean new desk with the brass lid on the inkwell shined to perfection.

The book was translated into several European languages

<<<<<<<

Our Beautiful Church all decked out for a Wedding

You'll have to agree it's beautiful.

<<<<<<<<

An Early Craft Beer

Source: A Year in Kerry by Patrick O'Sullivan

<<<<<<<

Luimneach Abú

Heartiest congratulations to all my Limerick friends, neighbours, family and blog followers. You knocked it out of the park, lads

2018 Here we come

Brent Geese in a Wintry Beale

Photo; Ita Hannon

<<<<<<<

Snow in December 2017

We saw very little snow in Listowel. The snow pictures were taken at the home of my brother in Kanturk.

There was a lot of snow in the Kerry mountains and Kerry Mountain Rescue were very busy over the holiday season. The below picture is taken from their website. They were out nearly every day over Christmas and thanks to their dedication, all the stranded and lost climbers made it home.

<<<<<<<<

The traditional Crib is alive and Well in Kerry

During the holidays I made an effort to visit a few cribs in local towns and churches. I was heartened to see that while the holly and the ivy is gone, the candle in the window almost gone and Christmas food changed out of all recognition, one tradition is still very much alive; the Christmas Crib which tells the story of the first Christmas.

Here are a few local ones

This lovely nativity is in Ballybunion

The crib in the cathedral in Killarney is on a grander scale as befits its location.

<<<<<<<

The Dandy Lodge is 20 years in the park.

During my recent break I had a very welcome email from Barry O'Halloran. He sent us this photograph with the following story;

"You have often blogged about/taken photographs of The Dandy Lodge. I came
across a photo of The Dandy Lodge which was taken just before the project to
move it, commenced in 1997. The people behind it (which included my late
father Tom O' Halloran), showed great vision and tenacity in getting the
funding and labour to complete such a difficult project. Each stone was
individually marked prior to knocking the Dandy Lodge and before carefully
re-constructing it, in The Cows Lawn.

The people in the foreground are Vincent & Julianne Moloney, with Mick
Barrett and Joe Dillon, nearest the old phone box.

One of the first events held in the re-located Dandy Lodge was a double
christening party in June 1999, for my daughter Maeve O'Halloran and her
first cousin, Liam O' Connor (Sydney) - son of my sister Marie O'Halloran
who lives in Sydney."

THEN

In the way these things happen, just a day later, Denis Carroll who has resumed posting photographs and memories of Listowel on Facebook posted a photo and a Youtube video

Denis' photo shows the newly widened gateway to the park with the Dandy Lodge on the left.

Here is what he has to say about the relocation of this, the first house in Listowel;

"The gates into the Community Centre have been widened, fantastic job by the council. The "Dandy Lodge" in the photo was dismantled block by block and numbered then brought into the town park from across the road where it originally was on the main road into town. This can be seen on Youtube on my "fealegood007" youtube channel, the clip is called "Dandy Lodge". I was there with a video camera for that. Here is the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzXPh2-Tnks&t=106s"

<<<<<<<<<

A poem from an Ambassador

Some embassies serve up Feraro Rocher. The Irish embassy in the U.S shares out much more exotic fare. The ambassador, Dan Mulhall, loves poetry and history and he regularly shares (on social media) little nuggets of both. Here is an extract he chose from a poem called The Dreamer and it was written by a poet who escaped from Australia, to where he had been deported. He settled in Boston where he edited The Boston Pilot which published the early work of W.B. Yeats.

I would fly to the woods’ low rustle And the meadows’ kindly page. Let me dream as of old by the river, And be loved for the dream alway; For a dreamer lives forever, And a toiler dies in a day.
John Boyle O’Reilly (1844-1890)

<<<<<<<

What a Picture!

January 3 2018; Valerie O'Sullivan took this photo of Storm Eleanor at Valentia Lighthouse.

<<<<<<<

The Feast of the Epiphany...a French tradition

The Journey of the Magi

by T.S. Elliot

A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.'
And the camels galled, sorefooted, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
and running away, and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying
That this was all folly.

Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wine-skins.
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arriving at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you might say) satisfactory.

All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.

January 6th celebrates the coming of the three kings to visit Jesus in Bethlehem. In France they have a tradition I had not heard of 'til January 6th 2018 when I celebrated this feast with the French branch of my family.

According to tradition, the woman of the house bakes a cake called Galette des Rois

This is a delicious confection in which almonds are the main ingredient. Into this cake the cook places a figurine. This figure is usually a man or woman dressed in traditional local attire. It can be a king but doesn't have to be. Ours was a peasant..

The figurine in the upper picture is the one we had. The lower one is a porcelain "king" that has been in my daughter in law's family for years.

When the cake is cooked it is brought to the table where the family are gathered. The youngest child hides underneath the table. The lady of the house cuts the cake into slices and the youngest announces from under the table who is to get each piece. Then the family eat carefully as the danger of breaking a tooth or swallowing the miniature charm is great. The person who gets the trinket is the king for the day and gets to wear the crown.

All hail, King Killian!

The Corner Shop, The Dandy Lodge, a waste collection at Listowel mart and 2017 Food Trail at Mike the Pies

Top Oil hold a photograph competition every year in order to choose photos for their calendar. All of the photos are absolutely excellent and the calendar is always a treasure to keep. This year the above photo is the winning shot. The photographer is a someone called Walt Hollick and this is his dog.

<<<<<<<<

When you are old and grey by W.B. Yeats

Photo of W.B. Yeats in the National Archive

When you are old and grey and full of sleep, 

And nodding by the fire, take down this book, 

And slowly read, and dream of the soft look 

Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep; 

How many loved your moments of glad grace, 

And loved your beauty with love false or true, 

But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you, 

And loved the sorrows of your changing face; 

And bending down beside the glowing bars, 

Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled 

And paced upon the mountains overhead 

And hid his face amid a crowd of stars. 

<<<<<<<

The Dandy Lodge in Listowel Town Park

In response to a request, here is a little more on this curious little house that many who pass through the park wonder about.

<<<<<<

This explains the long queues last Saturday

A record number of farmers – 525 in total – travelled to Listowel, Co. Kerry, with their hazardous waste last Saturday (November 4).

Speaking to AgriLand, the EPA’s Shane Colgan stated that 200 would have been a good number at a collection; 300 would be very busy; but 525 was a record.

The resource efficiency manager added that 20t of engine oil and a full lorry of veterinary medicines were collected on the day.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there are three main reasons why farmers are keen to get rid of their waste. These include: safety; keeping the farmyard clean and tidy; and cross compliance.

Colgan continued to say that there are three drop-off points located at each collection centre – electrical, waste oil; and chemicals and medications – and most farmers tend to stop at all three points........ (source: agriland.ie)

<<<<<<<<

Sad News from Foynes

When my grandchildren come to me for their Kerry holidays, I love to take them to local visitor attractions. This summer I ventured a bit further afield with Sean and Killian. We went to Foynes' Flying Boat Museum. It was one of our best days out. I am so sad to hear that it has been destroyed in this weekend's floods. I hope it can be restored but we will be without it for a while.

I'm reproducing a few of my photos from our day in the museum.

<<<<<<<<< 

Lament for The Shop

We all knew of local shops that sold everything. They were the original "convenience shop" They often stood at a crossroads and they were a lifeline in the days when people only got to town once a week, if that. They are mostly gone now and with them a way of life.

Rte's Liveline recorded Seamus O'Rourke's lament for such a local institution. Please listen. Its a gem. Radio at its best.

Seamus O'Rourke   The Shop

<<<<<<<<<

Listowel Food Fair 2017....Food Trail Saturday November 11 2017

On Saturday November 11 2017 I took part in the food trail that has become part and parcel of Listowel Food Fair. I ate more than was good for me and I snapped a few photos along the way. I'll bring you the bulk of the photos later on but today I'll just tell you my highlight. It was eating home- made meat pies in Mike the Pies

Mike the Pies is a Listowel institution best known for music, comedy, sport, a memorable mannequin challenge and craic. Notice that there is no mention of food. That is because Mike the Pies does not serve food 

BUT

Colette O'Connor (on the left) who organised the Food Trail hit on a brilliant idea and the O'Connor family were up for the challenge.

Mike the Pie's got its name from the meat pies that were a speciality of this house and many many houses in town during Listowel Race Week. The story goes that many housewives knowing they would be very busy during race week made a batch of mutton pies in advance and the family ate them every day during the festival. Many Listowel families still eat these delicacies during the big week in September.

Aiden O'Connor (in the centre) our genial host told us the story of Kathy Buckley who lived next door to the pub and whose meat pies were legendary. Every housewife had her own recipe for her pies but the basic ingredients were the same, lots of really tender mutton cooked in a pastry case and served floating in the broth in which the mutton bones were boiled. Kathy went on to be a cook for three U.S. presidents. History doesn't relate if she served them mutton pies in the White House. Kathy lived in the days when cooks kept their recipes in their heads and she left behind none of the recipes that saw her headhunted for the White House kitchen.

But all of that is history. Back to Saturday, November 11 2017 and Aiden is faced with about 50 food trailers and a bar full of loyal customers to feed. He was ready for this as he is for every challenge. He had roped in the troops. The O'Connor women had spent the morning making pies and boiling bones and there was a bowl of meat pie and broth for everyone in the audience. This dish was mouth watering. This simple Listowel fare more than held its own with the haute cuisine we had sampled on the way.

The O'Connor family with Jimmy Deenihan and Collette O'Connor, organisers of the Food Trail

I loved this stop on the trail because it combined good food with a warm welcome, history and a great sense of family. Well done all.

Marathons4Muireann, the Dandy Lodge and Childers Park

This story has only the vaguest of Listowel connections but it is nevertheless an uplifting tale.

This is the story of one participant in the Bank holiday Dublin City Marathon.

Declan O'Flaherty is a solicitor from Athlone. He is the father of four children,

Muireann is his youngest. This is what her parents tell us about Muireann on her website.

"Our fourth and youngest child, Muireann is two and a half. She can’t walk, she can’t talk she can’t feed herself and she requires constant monitoring. She is frequently unwell and takes a daily cocktail of medication including anti-seizure tablets, medicines to keep her bowels clear and antibiotics to keep infections at bay. When Muireann is well her laugh lights up the room and all of us feel better for having her in our lives. Muireann has been diagnosed with an extremely rare neurological disorder – Ponto Cerebellar Hypoplasia. She also has microcephaly and epilepsy. So on the October bank holiday weekend , Daddy Declan, plans to run on the old N6 from Kilmartin’s Roundabout in Athlone to Temple Street Hospital and then complete the Dublin City Marathon – a distance of just over 4 marathons in total! All proceeds will go to three charities playing such a key part in Muireann’s life: Temple St Hospital; Brothers of Charity and the Jack & Jill Foundation.

Please support us!"

Declan ran 4 marathons in 2 days in a huge effort to raise funds for the 3 charities that help Muireann. He ended up at the Dublin City Marathon where he met this supporter.

What an achievement! What a dad!
I don't know Declan. I know Jim MacSweeney who helped by taking the photographs. Another great dad and grandad. At the time of writing €140,000 had been raised.

<<<<<<<

 Remember These innocent Halloween games?

<<<<<<<

These photographs by Denis Carroll are of the Dandy Lodge as it was being moved across the road to Childers Park and the same park before the Community Centre was built.